Isaiah 30:17

One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill. ONE THOUSAND - Hebrew, 'elep (H505) 'echad. The "One" is emphatic. A thousand at once, or As one man. (SHALL FLEE) AT THE REBUKE OF ONE - the battle-cry of one. AT THE REBUKE OF FIVE SHALL YE (namely, all, in contrast to the "One thousand") FLEE: TILL YE BE LEFT AS A BEACON UPON THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN - ye shall flee in such confusion that even two shall not be left together, but each one shall be as solitary 'as a signal staff or a banner on a hill' (Isaiah 5:26;...

17._A thousand, as one, shall flee at the rebuke of one. _Because the Jews, on account of their vast numbers, relied on their forces, as men are wont to do when they possess any power, therefore the Prophet threatens that all the protection which they have at home will be of no more avail to them than foreign aid, because the Lord will break and take away their courage, so that they shall not be able to make use of their forces. For what avail arms and a vast multitude of men? What avail fortresses and bulwarks, when men’s hearts fail and are dismayed? It is therefore impossible for us to be strong and powerful, unless the Lord strengthen and uphold us by his Spirit. This statement occurs frequently in the law, that when they should revolt from God, a vast number of them would be put to flight by a very small number of enemies. But there is this difference between the law and the prophet...

8-18 The Jews were the only professing people God then had in the world, yet many among them were rebellious. They had the light, but they loved darkness rather. The prophets checked them in their sinful pursuits, so that they could not proceed without fear; this they took amiss. But faithful ministers will not be driven from seeking to awaken sinners. God is the Holy One of Israel, and so they shall find him. They did not like to hear of his holy commandments and his hatred of sin; they desired that they might no more be reminded of these things. But as they despised the word of God, their sins undermined their safety. Their state would be dashed in pieces like a potter's vessel. Let us return from our evil ways, and settle in the way of duty; that is the way to be saved. Would we be strengthened, it must be in quietness and in confidence, keeping peace in our own minds, and relying up...

Verse Isaiah 30:17. _AT THE REBUKE OF FIVE SHALL YE FLEE_ - "At the rebuke of five, ten thousand of you shall flee"] In the second line of this verse a word is manifestly omitted, which should answer to _one_ _thousand_ in the first: the _Septuagint_ supply πολλοι, רבים _rabbim_. But the true word is רבבה _rebabah_, as I am persuaded any one will be convinced, who will compare the following passages with this place: - "How should one chase a thousand; And two put ten thousand (רבבה) to flight?" Deuteronomy 32:30. "And five of you shall chase a hundred;...

ONE THOUSAND ... - The sense of this is, that you shall be easily alarmed and overcome by those who are inferior in numbers and strength. The number ‘one thousand,’ is put for a large indefinite number; probably meaning all. AT THE REBUKE OF ONE - The number one here is put to denote a very small number; a number in the ordinary course of warfare entirely disproportionate to those who would be vanquished. There is probably a reference here to the prediction in Deuteronomy 32:30 : How should one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Except their Rock had sold them And

EXPOSITION ISAIAH 30:1 THE ALLIANCE WITH EGYPT OPENLY REBUKED. In the preceding chapter (Isaiah 30:15) the design of the Jewish rulers to seek the alliance of Egypt was covertly glanced at and condemned; now it is openly declared and rebuked. The rulers are warned that no good can possibly come of it, even in a worldly sense. The Egyptians will give no aid, or at any rate no effectual aid. The sums expended in purchasing their friendship will be utterly thrown away. ISAIAH 30:1 WOE TO THE REBELLIOUS CHILDREN (comp....

ONE THOUSAND [SHALL FLEE] AT THE REBUKE OF ONE,.... A troop of horse, consisting of a thousand men, shall flee upon the attack and onset of a single person, so dispirited should they be, and so possessed of the fear of the enemy; what was promised to them with respect to their enemies is here turned against them, Leviticus 26:7: AT THE REBUKE OF FIVE SHALL YE FLEE; being attacked by a very small number, the whole army should run away: this denotes with what ease they should be routed, and put to flight; and is to be understood, not of what would be at the present time, but of what should come to pass hereafter, when the Chaldean army should come against them; TILL YE BE LEFT AS A BEACON UPON THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN; or, "as the mast of a ship", so the Septuagint and other versions. Jarchi says it signifies a high tree, or tall piece of wood fixed in th

CHAPTER 30 The Fourth Woe Against Alliance With Egypt 1. _The alliance and its failure (Isaiah 30:1)_ 2. _The written table against the rebellious people (Isaiah 30:8)_ 3. _Jehovah's word of encouragement (Isaiah 30:15)_ 4. _The nation blest and restored (Isaiah 30:18)_ 5. _Idolatry ceases and the land restored (Isaiah 30:22)_ 6. _The accomplishment by the coming of the Lord (Isaiah 30:27)_ While this chapter had a si

This passage is introduced by a strange title, Oracle concerning the beasts of the Negeb, _i.e._ either the beasts who carry the treasure to Egypt (Isaiah 30:6_ b_), or the wild creatures that infest the Negeb. Duhm supposes that the oracle began In the wastes of the South, and that the title should be, Oracle. In the wastes of the South. the title being taken from the opening words, which have fallen out of the text through haplography. With great trouble and expense the ambassadors go through the difficult and dangerous desert to negotiate a useless alliance with Egypt, an insolent and indolent people. The prophet is bidden write his oracle on a tablet (Isaiah 8:1) and inscribe it in a book, that it may be a witness (_mg._) for ever ...

ONE THOUSAND SHALL FLEE. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:8.) SHALL FLEE. The Figure of speech _Ellipsis_ is correctly supplied from the next clause. REBUKE. threat. YE FLEE. ye [all] flee. A BEACON. a pole, or mast. ENSIGN. flagstaff....